WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of the 2017 National Small Business Week, Linda McMahon, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, recognized this year’s Small Business Person(s) of the Year and other national award winners at a ceremony and reception at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C.

“It is my extreme pleasure to announce that husband-and-wife business partners Garrett Marrero and Melanie Oxley of Maui Brewing Company are this year’s national Small Business Persons of the Year,” McMahon said. “Their innovative spirit, with assistance from the SBA and its lending and partners, created a thriving business and hundreds of jobs for their community.”

As part of National Small Business Week, Vice President of the United States Mike Pence, SBA Administrator Linda McMahon, and First Daughter and Entrepreneur Ivanka Trump recognized this year's Small Business Persons of the Year and other national award winners at a ceremony and reception at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., on Monday, May 1st, 2017.

Garrett and Melanie first came to the Hawaii Small Business Development Center for assistance to finance a 7-barrel brew-production facility with an attached Brew Pub in Kahana. An SBA guaranteed loan allowed Garrett to embark on his vision of a locally inspired and locally produced craft beer.By 2007, increasing demand led them to open a second location in Lahaina with a 25-barrel capacity, giving them the ability to provide brewery tours, making it a tourist destination as well. By 2013, with an SBDC feasibility study and an SBA 504 loan, they were able to purchase land and build a state of the art production facility in Kihei enabling Maui Brewing Co to produce more than 19,000 barrels of beer a year, boosting revenues to more than $10 million. Here is a video produced in 2014 just after moving into the Kihei facility.

Another outstanding feature of Garrett and Melanie's vision of a "Hawaii-produced craft beer" includes a strong commitment to using local talent and local ingredients in their products, supporting a network of Hawaii farmers and value added producers. All of this done in a constantly evolving, sustainable-green production facility. Since the above video, SBDC again assisted by undertaking and providing required feasibility studies for USDA Rural Energy for America Program grants/loans to help finance an extensive photovoltaic-battery-microgrid which takes the hi-tech production facility "off-the-grid" and also drives both hot and cooling water capability.

Maui Brewing Company continues to expand operations, most recently on Oahu, with a new 18,000 square-foot restaurant that just opened in Waikiki. More new brewpubs and eateries are scheduled to open later this year. By the end of 2018, Maui Brewing Company will produce over 100,000 barrels and employ a workforce of over 700.

The Hawai‘i Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is a program of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo
funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

This web site provides general information about the Hawai'i SBDC and other resource partners. The information contained in this website is not necessarily complete and does not constitute a contract. Information is subject to change at any given moment without prior notice and at the Hawai‘i SBDC's discretion.

The Hawai‘i SBDC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Hawai‘i SBDC services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis. Language assistance services are available for individuals with limited English proficiency as well as reasonable accommodations can be made for persons with disabilities.